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I sure hope so. He sounds like the real deal but I, like pretty much everyone else here haven't seen him play so we'll have to wait and see.

As far as Ference goes, I'm already a big fan. He just seems like a good, respectable person and he'll be a great influence for the younger guys. We need more veteran warriors like him. Hopefully he's paired with Schultz or Petry, they need a guy like him to help them grow their game.

I think MacT is trying to identify guys that are really good in the room and liked around the league, which should by all means help us in recruiting more players. Labarbera and Ference are both known for being popular guys in the room. Edmonton is going to be a fun place to play, lots of great personalities on the team right now.

I sure hope so. He sounds like the real deal but I, like pretty much everyone else here haven't seen him play so we'll have to wait and see.

As far as Ference goes, I'm already a big fan. He just seems like a good, respectable person and he'll be a great influence for the younger guys. We need more veteran warriors like him. Hopefully he's paired with Schultz or Petry, they need a guy like him to help them grow their game.

I think MacT is trying to identify guys that are really good in the room and liked around the league, which should by all means help us in recruiting more players. Labarbera and Ference are both known for being popular guys in the room. Edmonton is going to be a fun place to play, lots of great personalities on the team right now.

I just Wikipedia'd Labarbera after reading this, this must be some sort of joke.

Personal life[edit]

LaBarbera and his wife Kodette are the parents of Ryder, born February 26, 2009. Labarbera was recently diagnosed with lung cancer.[11]

If the best we can do for a smear on his character is that he flipped the bird to Montreal fans in the biggest rivalry in the NHL, try harder.

You want that passion on your team.

Look at Hextall - monster on the ice, gentleman off the ice.

You play 100% against your biggest rival, high on adrenaline and testosterone, sometimes you do silly things. The fact that they made such a big deal about is hilarious to me.

Its for the same passion that you mention that Montreal fans "Hate" Ference. Which is the same as Oiler fans Hating Ron Hextall or Billy Smith which they did. These were public enemies number 1 and none of them went to this degree and actually flipped a bird at the paying faithful. The NHL clearly thought this was entirely unacceptable and fined Ference on that basis.

There is arguably a line that exists in a gate based league where fans ought to be respected. Hextall and Smith reserved thier competitive contempt for the other players on the ice as it should be. What other NHL players have flipped the bird to fans? (I faintly recall Fuhr may have done that but he got reamed out royally from Sather and the whole org and was made to apologize for his indiscretion.

Henry Burris got upset at fans and shaked his fist at them and was generally regarded as a clown for that incident and lost his starting job and career with the Stamps and arguably due to that moment. Never a good idea to lose your cool with the fans (and then lie about it like a clown which he did)

So profound reactions to what players do on the ice do commonly occur and nothing to odd about them. It is the passion that creates this. Also, fans have a right to passion as well. Something generally recognized by most intelligible people is its always a bad idea to incite fans in the crowd because you can easily have things boil into a out of control situation which used to occur in some places in the NHL postwar and in the 50's

The NHL has known and recognized that you do not directly incite fans from the ice and that its a poor decision anytime it happens.

Personally for me that Ference lied about it, and continued to lie about it is what I don't abide. (see the similarity to what Burris did and tried unsuccessfully to explain away?)

just explaining pov. Its all perspective. WE can laugh at Montreal fans in this or know full well that if Ference had flipped us the finger at Rexall that we'd be all over it calling him the biggest punk ass in the world and especially if he was still playing for the Flames. Honesty is all good right?

Lets be clear here too. Every Boston fan I ever met HATES the Montreal Canadiens and because of losing to them always for countless decades. None of those loses being more painful than 1979, or 1971, or, well, you get the point. Again perspective being everything.

I'm afraid that we need at least one fully solid, fully experienced, fully capable, full-sized pair of D-men to play hard minutes (i.e. the majority of the minutes) against the big strong offensive players peppered around our division, especially in own-zone face-off situations. Not having that, I suppose a balanced D with an impetus on quick breakouts and effective transitions is our next best bet and that line up may be able to offer that with a certain degree of efficacy.

I think Ference will try to be that, and we'll find how much his effectiveness was a product of Boston, and how much it's him.

Quote:

I just hate the idea of rushing Klefbom by giving him 6D minutes in the NHL when he could be getting 1D minutes in the AHL, even if its for 1/2 a season.

I, too, think Belov might be better suited on the opening day roster. I guess we'll see what transpires after camp is off and running.

Absolutely, the Oilers need to see what they've got in Belov and it won't hurt Klefbom to start in the minors, or even stay there the whole season if he struggles (or best case, if he plays well but the Oilers also do, without any weak spots on D. Crazy, but who knows?)

He's going to be a perfect fit on our 2nd pairing and I hope he helps create an atmosphere of competition and drive for this team. We've been lackadaisical losers for too long - it's time to tranform the culture of this organization.

He'll definitely at least wear an "A" and other than Hall, he's the main guy that comes to mind for the C.

Yikes. As good a leader Ference is, handing a new addition the captaincy might not go down too well in the locker room early on. I'd much rather just give Hall, Eberle, Gagner, Smid, and Ference rotating As and see who emerges as the captain halfway through.